Freedman - Only a matter of time

Manager speaks ahead of this weekend's clash with the Seagulls

Dougie Freedman is confident that his side will soon see the fruits of their labour, and has pinpointed this weekend’s trip to Brighton as a game which could be the turning point in the campaign.

Wanderers secured a hard earned draw against Derby County on Tuesday evening, with the manager admitting that the team’s spirited performance deserved more than a solitary point.

Despite his disappointment however, the Scot firmly believes that the team are more than capable of recording a victory on the south coast if they reproduce the application shown in the midweek clash against the Rams.

“It’s very unfortunate for the group of players that we have - their performance levels have been very good,” explained Freedman at his pre-match press conference. “The fans have seen that and they got right behind them the other night because they saw the determination, but they didn’t get what they deserved from that game.

“The guys in the backroom who do all the statistics tell me that we had more possession and more shots, but you have to score more goals than the opposition.

“Frustrated? Yes we are, but certainly a lot of positives came out of it. It was a good display and I think if we can keep on having performances like that, then it’s only going to be a matter of time before we start picking up a few wins.

“There is no way that we’ll be lying down and taking these defeats and draws – we’ll keep on fighting.”

Having secured a dramatic draw on their last trip to the Amex Stadium in November last year, the manager is confident that his side has what it takes to go one better this season.

“We had a couple of decent results against Brighton – they’ve got a different manager now but the same philosophy and roughly the same players. 

“We have prepared ourselves best we can; we’ll be tactically aware of what they do and as I say, if we can perform the way we’ve been performing then we’re more than capable of getting that win.

“With the closeness of the division, one or two results can leapfrog you four or five positions and a run through a certain month can put you from top to bottom.”

He added: “The aim was to be in the top six come the end of the season and that is still our aim. 

“We’re going through a difficult moment right now, but I’m thankful that we’ve had that bit of luck and it’s been at the beginning of the season and I’m very grateful that we’ve got another game on Saturday to look forward to so we can try and change that around.”

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